The Bar
by JillianHoltzmann
Summary: Holtzmann used to work at a gay bar when she was younger, and still likes to help out from time to time when she feels like she needs to blow off some steam after a hard day of busting ghosts. Besides, she figures that a night at a gay bar surrounded by lovely and beautiful women will probably get her mind off of Erin. Her plan is ruined though, when her eyes land on a familiar fig
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! I had this idea stuck in my head and just really wanted to write it. It was going to be a one-shot at first, but it got a bit long towards the end so I just decided to split it into three parts. I hope you like this first part!**

 **I apologize for any mistakes I made, it's very late and I'm very very tired (as usual) :)**

* * *

"Good to see you Jill."

"Thanks Sophie." Holtzmann says, smiling at the girl in front of her. The brunette pulls her in for a hug all of the sudden, and it takes the engineer a few seconds before she wraps her arms around her friend.

"Sorry." The brunette says. "It's just been a while since we've seen you around here."

Holtzmann's smile widens, glad to hear that her friends have missed her. "Yeah, I've been pretty busy saving the entire world."

Sophie nudges her shoulder. "Shut up."

Someone else walks over then, and once more Holtzmann is pulled into a hug. "Is our sweet engineer even more annoying now that she's saved the world?"

The blonde smiles as she pulls back. "Hi Josh. And hey, I'm never annoying!" She says pretending to be hurt by his comment.

"Ready?" Sophie asks. "It's going to be a pretty busy night."

"I'm always ready." Holtzmann says, winking at both her friends as she moves behind the bar, immediately walking towards a girl and leaning a bit closer to hear her over the loud music.

"What can I get you?"

A couple of hours later, Holtzmann is relieved when it's finally her time to take a break. It's about midnight now, so it's about to get a lot busier. She doesn't mind though, glad to be back at the bar. She remembers walking through the doors of the gay bar so many years ago, young and no place to stay after her parents had kicked her out. She had been welcomed with open arms here, and for the first time in her life, Holtzmann had felt accepted. Like it was okay to be a little different, and it was okay to be attracted to women. The owners gave her a place to live upstairs of the bar, as long as she promised to help out; so she did, for about 7 years. After she had started working with Abby, she didn't really need the job anymore, but still often came by to help. Even now, she still liked to pop by from time to time to help out.

She had felt extremely frustrated today, finding that her crush on the redhead was growing more and more now that they spend almost every minute of every day together. Holtzmann always caught herself staring at the physicist, watching how her brow furrowed when she was working on some kind of equation. Sometimes, the redhead would catch her staring, immediately blushing when Holtzmann just shrugged and winked at her. She liked teasing Erin like this, finding the redhead's response extremely entertaining. However, and the end of the day Erin Gilbert will always be straight, and she knows this. Today, after the redhead had surprised her by pulling her in for a hug that lasted just a little too long for it to be casual, it had al been a little too much for the blonde. She needed some distraction, and what better place to go then here.

"Holtz!" Josh yells, snapping the blonde from her thoughts.

"Coming!" She responds, already jumping up and returning to her place behind the bar. She immediately notices how much more crowded the bar has become in the short amount of time that she was gone. For a second she's caught of guard, but then she smiles and walks towards a group of girls at the far end of the bar, taking their orders as she leans over.

* * *

Erin groans in frustration, leaning over her desk and resting her head in her hands.

"You okay?" Patty says, walking over and noticing her friend.

"No." The redhead responds, surprising the both of them with her honest answer.

The Historian simply smiles at her. "It's about Holtzy isn't it?"

Erin immediately looks up, her eyes locking with her friends'. "How did you know?"

Patty laughs then. "Baby, how long 'till you realize that I know everything that goes around here. I've known you two have the hots for each other since day one."

"Wait" Erin says, her eyes suddenly widening, "You mean you think she likes me too?"

"Trust me," Abby suddenly says, joining the conversation, "She likes you."

"Wha-" Erin tries, looking from one friend to the other, "do you two talk about us when we're not here?"

The girls look at each other and share a knowing smile. "What else are we supposed to do when there's no ghosts to catch?" Abby said.

"Well I'm not even sure I like her, I'm not even sure I like girls. I've never felt this way." Erin admits, not even sure why she's suddenly so honest with her friends.

"Well.. we can do something about that." Abby says while she smirks at her friend.

About an hour later they're standing outside of a place Erin has never seen before, even though it's not that far from the firehouse. "So when exactly did you go here before?"

"Oh uh.." Abby stammers, suddenly having a hard time coming up with a good lie, "Just found it by accident one time actually. Thought it would be fun."

Luckily, Erin is far too nervous to notice the obvious lie, already walking towards the door of the place. Abby and Patty walk just a few feet behind her.

"Dude." Patty says, nudging Abby with her elbow, "that was awful."

"Yeah well.. I couldn't just tell her the truth could I?"

Patty nods, realizing her friend is right about that. "So, are you sure she's here tonight?"

Abby smiles. "I've known Holtzmann for a long time now; trust me, she's here."

The three girls walk inside the gay bar, taken aback by how crowded the place is. There's barely enough place to stand, let alone dance. It's still better than most places though, especially since there are no annoying man creeping up on them and trying to get in their pants. Abby looks at her friend then, noticing how big Erin's eyes seem to be scanning every part of the room, sometimes lingering on something – or someone – she sees.

"You like it?" Abby shouts, raising her voice. The music is good, but it's loud and somehow she thinks that maybe, just maybe, they're a little old to be doing this.

"Yeah." Erin says, her eyes shining bright even in the darker lighting in the bar.

"See any cute girls?" Patty says, clearly happy to be Erin's wing woman for the evening. The redhead blushes, and awkwardly clears her throat. "Shall we just get a drink first?"

Abby smiles. "I'll get the first round."

The brunette pushes through the crowd, walking closer and closer towards the bar. There's just one more thing she needs to check before she and Patty can set their actual plan into action. She's at the bar now, and immediately two arms wrap awkwardly around her neck, almost pulling her over the bar.

"Sophie." She says, trying to escape from the hug.

"Abby!" The brunette says, smiling broadly at her. "It's so great to see you. What are you doing here?"

Abby had met Sophie after becoming friends with Holtzmann, the two girls getting along immediately. For years, they had felt like they were Holtzmann's parents in some weird way, both often acting like overprotective parents around the blonde.

"Just helping out a friend, or two if this plan works out. Is Holtz here?"

Sophie smiles, already intrigued and wanting to know more about this plan. She nods and points at the other end of the bar. Abby sees her then, talking to some girl while she pours said girl a drink.

"Want me to call her over?" Sophie asks, leaning in a little bit closer so Abby can hear her properly.

"No that's fine." Abby responds. "Just wanted to know if she's here. Can I get three beers?"

The brunette nods. "Coming right up."

"Thanks." Abby says, putting some money down on the bar. Sophie immediately pushes it back into Abby's hands.

"This one's on me."

Abby smiles and thanks the bartender for the drinks, before returning back to her friends and handing over the drinks.

A few drinks later, Abby shoots a glare towards Patty, who grins back at her. Erin's a few feet away from them, talking to some girl. Abby can tell she's more relaxed than normally, the beer having served its purpose. It's nice to see Erin finally doing something without being held back by her own fears and insecurities. The redhead laughs at something the girl says, touching her arm as she throws her head back.

Patty walks over now, tapping Erin on her shoulder. "Yo Erin." She says, "we're gonna go to the bar next doors." She points to Abby, before returning her gaze to Erin. "You should stay though. Looks like you're having fun."

Suddenly Abby sees something in Erin's eyes, and notices how the physicist looks down at the floor. "Uh.. I don't know guys. Maybe I'll just go with you."

She's looking directly at Abby now, as if asking for permission. "Stay." The brunette says. "We'll be right next doors the whole time. You can just come to us when you get bored or something."

Finally, the redhead nods, Abby now pushing her still full glass of beer in her hands. She waves at her friends as they leave the bar, before returning to her earlier conversation with the girl next to her.

* * *

Holtzmann realizes she has been smiling for almost the entire evening, noticing how much she has missed being a bartender. Obviously, busting ghosts and being an engineer in general is what she loves most in this world, and she wouldn't trade it for anything. Still though, she feels like she needs this from time to time. It's just the perfect way to blow off some steam.

It's about 2am now, and the place is still crowded. People are a little less thirsty though, most of them pretty drunk by now and slowing down a bit. She moves away from her usual spot to stand next to Sophie, having a better view of the crowd from here.

"Hi there." Sophie says, smiling at her friend. "How's it going?"

"Great." Holtzmann says, "Thanks for letting me help tonight."

"Are you kidding? We love having you here."

The blonde suddenly freezes in her spot as she stares at the crowd. Was that? No.. it couldn't be. There was no way, absolutely no way.

"You okay?" she vaguely hears Sophie ask her, but the engineer doesn't answer, staring at the crowd instead.

Her eyes are glued to a girl a few feet away from her, dancing with another girl and laughing at something she says. She can feel her heart pounding in her chest, and she's suddenly aware of how dry her mouth has become. Then, the girl turns around, and Holtzmann's eyes widen instantly.

Her eyes are still glued to the redhead, who's now talking to the girl again before making her way over to the bar, clearly not having noticed Holtzmann yet. The blonde panics then, not sure what to do all of the sudden. She does the only thing she can think of, and drops to the floor behind the bar.

"Oh my god." She says.

What in the hell is Erin Gilbert doing here?

* * *

 **Hope you all liked it! Also, the other chapter will most likely be a lot longer :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! I was finally able to write an update for this chapter!**

 **Like I promised, it's somewhat longer than the first one (not as long as I wanted it to be though but urgh there's just no time to write)**

 **Also, English is not my first language and I'm very terrible at fixing my mistakes, so my apologies for all the times I screw up.**

 **Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

"Oh shit." Holtzmann says, mostly to herself. This can't be happening, right? There's no way that Erin, her Erin, is here, in this very bar. She must have seen it wrong. Yes, she must have. Holtzmann takes a deep breath as she slowly moves to stand up, just enough so she can peek over the bar.

Immediately her eyes land on the physicist, still standing in the middle of the crowd. She groans, lowering herself back onto the floor.

"What's up with her?" Josh asks, his question directed towards Sophie.

The brunette just shrugs before continuing her work.

Josh is lowering himself onto the ground now, forcing the blonde to make eye contact with him.

"Hey stranger." He says, soft smile on his face as he stares at her. "You good?"

The engineer slowly nods. "Yeah, it's just uh.. there's this girl."

Josh rolls his eyes, having clearly been through this with the blonde before. "What did you do this time? Did you not call her back? Jillian we told you it was okay to flirt with girls at the bar as long as they weren't regulars. We all know the kind of shit that goes down when you do."

Holtzmann deadpans him. "Hey! That was just one time!"

"Whatever." Josh responds with a playful tone.

"It's not like that though." The blonde continues, staring back at him. "She's a coworker."

Josh frowns, clearly not understanding the problem here. This time it's Sophie, who apparently had been listening to their conversation, who speaks up. "She likes her."

Holtzmann feels her cheeks heating up, thankful that the lights are dimmed. Josh's eyes are wide. "Are you serious?"

The engineer tries to avoid his stare, awkwardly pushing herself back on her feet and into the small staff room behind the bar, away from the guests. She could hear Josh's footsteps behind her.

"Jillian Holtzmann." He says, gesturing towards some other coworkers to take over the bar for a moment. Holtzmann groans, suddenly feeling like she's about to be lectured by a teacher.

"What?"

Josh crosses his arms, raising an eyebrow at her. "Don't 'what' me, you know what I'm talking about."

"I honestly don't."

The man rolls his eyes once more, apparently saving the world hadn't done much to improve the blonde's social skills. "I thought you didn't do the whole falling in love thing?"

The blonde's mouth drops open then. "I don't!" She says, almost sounding a bit hurt.

Josh squinted his eyes at her, pushing her to continue speaking.

Finally, the blonde sighs, avoiding his gaze as her eyes fixated on something on the wall behind her friend. "It's really nothing okay, just a small crush."

Josh doesn't believe her for a second, but also realises that pushing the blonde any further isn't going to help at all. So instead he just shakes his head and smiles softly.

"Okay then, but I'm gonna need you to actually stand behind the bar instead of hide underneath it."

"Yeah, yeah. Fine." She responds, taking in another deep breath before walking back into the club.

So Holtzmann returns to the bar, and tries to focus on the girls in front of her who actually want to order something, instead of the redhead in the middle of the dance floor. luckily Erin still hasn't seen her, but she figures the redhead will get thirsty sooner or later and make her way to the bar.

That moment arrives about ten minutes later. Holtzmann is staring, using a dishcloth to clean some glasses.

"What can I get you?" The blonde says, without actually looking up.

"Oh my god, it _is_ you."

Holtzmann immediately recognises the voice, her head shooting up, eyes immediately locking with the redhead's.

"Erin." She says, clearing her throat before she speaks again. "Hi."

"Hi…" Erin responds awkwardly.

The engineer glares at her friend, raising an eyebrow as she speaks. "What in the hell are you doing here?."

Somehow, the physicist looks offended. "I uh.." She stammers, trying to find the right words, "I came with Abby and Patty. They just went to another bar."

Holtzmann nods slowly, wondering why Erin hadn't left with her friends.

"Why?" Erin suddenly says, snapping Holtzmann out of her thoughts, "Is it really that weird for me to be here? You don't know… maybe I come here all the time."

Holtzmann smirks. "I probably would know though." She gestures towards her position behind the bar.

The redhead just rolls her eyes, but it's different than usual. There's no blush or soft smile on her face. Holtzmann realises that she's pissed Erin off, which honestly is the last thing she wants to do.

"Erin, I-" She's interrupted by the physicist before she can even finish her sentence.

"Whatever, Holtz. Can I just get two beers?"

The blonde opens her mouth to say something, but closes it again once she notices the serious look on her friends' face. "Two?" She couldn't help but ask, not having seen either Patty or Abby enter the bar again.

"Yes Holtzmann. Two."

The blonde didn't say anything else, just quietly handed over the beers. Erin puts a couple of dollar bills on the bar, but the blonde just pushes them back. "Don't worry about it." She winks then, pleased to see it at least still made the redhead blush.

Then, she was gone, and Holtzmann was left standing alone at the bar. Sophie joins her, wrapping an arm around Holtz's shoulders.

"Well.. that went great." She says, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I don't understand." The blonde responds, almost pouting now.

Sophie laughs then, not being able to stop it really, even though she can see her friend is clearly hurting.

"Honey." She speaks then, "You acted like her being possibly bisexual or gay is the weirdest thing in the whole wide world. I would be pretty offended too."

Holtzmann groans then, seeing the terrible mistake she made. Obviously she was surprised, but she can see how it must have felt for Erin. She had to make it clear to Erin that she had been surprised indeed, but good surprised. In fact, there was nothing in the whole wide world that made her happier than the thought of Erin being bisexual.

"I should talk to her, right?"

Sophie nods eagerly. "Yesss! Finally!"

Holtzmann takes a few deep breaths before finally walking away from the bar and into the crowd. She freezes when her eyes land on Erin and her.. friend.

* * *

The redhead had spent the last ten minutes standing still in the middle of the crowd, slightly dancing along to the music, but not too much. She is still holding the two beers, one being her own and the other belonging to Abby. She quickly downed both of them, figuring she's going to need it if she wants to survive this night. It's not that Erin is afraid of flirting or anything, she's actually fairly confident about her skills. It's just that everything about this is new, and god there are just so, so many pretty girls here. Saying it was overwhelming was an understatement.

After a while, the beers clearly started to have an affect on her. She was enjoying herself now, though she did have the weird feeling that someone was staring at her the whole time. She shook it of, and continued dancing. Suddenly, a girl came over, smiling friendly at her. Erin's throat went dry immediately. The girl was absolutely stunning, dark brown hair and dark eyes that looked almost black. She was wearing jeans, a white shirt and a leather jacket. Suddenly she felt very insecure about her own outfit; the redhead had opted for a simple flannel shirt and jeans herself.

"Hey you." The girl says, snapping her out of her thoughts. Erin can feel herself blushing immediately.

"Hi." She responds, speaking louder than normal to be heard over the loud music in the club.

"I'm Riley." The girl says, reaching out to shake Erin's hand.

"Erin."

"Sorry, I was just sitting at the bar and you looked kind of lonely." The girl says now, leaning in closer than necessary to speak into Erin's ear.

"Oh. I'm fine really." Erin responds, not really sure what to say.

Riley pulls back to grin at her. "Okay then. Are you sure? We could dance? Or talk? If you want?"

Erin stays silent for a few moments, not sure what to do. On the one hand she wanted to run away far, far from this bar, but on the other hand, she really didn't.

"Sure yeah, we can talk." She says.

The dark haired woman smirks then, now taking hold of Erin's hand and guiding her towards an open space.

They dance for a little while, Erin always making sure to keep some kind of distance between them, even though Riley tries to get closer to her a couple of times. It's not that she's annoyed by it, but she feels like she's been pretty clear about the 'keeping a bit of distance' thing.

"Want a beer?" She finally says, speaking loudly now.

The brunette smiles and nods, and Erin softly smiles back at her before turning around on her heels and making her way to the bar.

Her plan was to get the drinks, talk a little more with Riley before excusing herself and going back to her friends. But then, there was Holtzmann, and now her blood is boiling and she almost feels like making out with anyone just to piss the blonde of. Fuck her. Why in the hell did Holtzmann act like her being possibly bisexual was the worst thing in the world? I mean she gets that she would be surprised, but her reaction just seemed weird.

She brushes of the thought, now joining Riley again on the dance floor and handing over the glass of beer. They return to their earlier conversation, Erin noticing how the brunette gets closer and closer to her each second. Finally, she takes a small step back, almost bumping into someone else.

The brunette just smiles at her, pretending not to have noticed it, or maybe she just thinks Erin's nervous. Whatever it is, the girl moves closer once again. This time Erin does open her mouth, ready to stop her, when she's interrupted by someone else.

"Riley!" A voice says, Erin immediately recognising it as Holtzmann's. "How are you doing?" Her words are friendly, but her tone sounds harsh.

"Jill." The brunette responds, her tone quite similar to the blonde's. "It's been too long." She says, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around the engineer.

Erin watches the two of them, noticing how Holtzmann's body stiffens as soon as Riley's arms wrap around her.

"Yeah." Holtzmann says, stepping away from the girl, now standing beside Erin. "Not long enough." She mutters, just loud enough for Erin to hear.

The physicist is aware of how close Holtzmann is to her, and wonders what that's all about. She gets her answer soon enough though, as Holtzmann suddenly wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her flush against her side.

"Holtz-" She starts to protest, but the blonde is already talking to Riley again.

"So what are you doing with my girl?"

Erin's pretty sure she couldn't even talk right now even if she wanted to. What exactly did the blonde just say? Holtzmann's hold on her tightens, and Erin feels her breath hitch in her throat. No matter how good this feels, she's still upset with the blonde. Besides, she could have handled this on her own.

"Your girl?" Riley says, her eyes shifting between the two of them, a disbelieving look on her face.

"Yeah. My girl." Holtzmann responds, not missing a beat.

Riley snorts, letting her eyes roam over Erin's body, which she doesn't like at all. Neither does Holtzmann apparently, her grip tightening almost painfully around her waist. She places her own hand briefly on top of Holtz's, who seems to get the hint, now loosening her grip.

"Seems like a healthy relationship…" Riley says now.

"Excuse me?" Erin suddenly speaks, taken aback by how hoarse she sounds.

The brunette laughs dryly, now staring directly at Erin. "Ah come on. I think you and I both know how much of a mess this one is." She gestures towards Holtzmann, who's gaze is directed at her feet. "Besides, she doesn't do relationships."

"It's different now," Holtzmann says, just loud enough to be heard over the music, "it's different with her." She continues, now turning her head to look at Erin.

Once more, Riley bursts out in laughter. "Sure Jill, which is why she was obviously flirting with me earlier."

Erin feels her cheeks heating up once more, this time because of the anger boiling inside of her. "I didn't flirt with you. And she's right, it is different with her, good different."

The physicist doesn't even realise she's leaning in until her lips are almost touching Holtzmann's. For a second she panics, but then Holtzmann turns to face her completely and uses the hand still on her waist to gently pull her closer towards her body.

Quickly, Erin closes the gap between them, pressing their lips together briefly. She pulls back as soon as she hears Riley walk away from her, immediately freeing herself from Holtzmann's grip.

"Erin." The blonde says, trying to take hold of her hand.

"Leave me alone, Holtzmann." The redhead responds, walking away from her and out of the bar, leaving Holtzmann alone in the middle of the dance floor.

* * *

 **Hope you liked it!**


	3. Chapter 3

"Erin," Holtzmann says, pushing past a group of girls and out into the cold dark night. She looks around her, trying to spot the physicist. For a second she panics, fearing she's lost her, but then Erin's rushing into the club next door.

Before Holtzmann has even reached the club Erin is already outside again, dragging Patty and Abby along with her. "Erin, what are you doing?" Even from the small distance, the blonde can hear the worry in her friend's voice.

Holtzmann moves towards them, now close enough to call out. She opens her mouth to speak, but then Patty is hugging Erin, and she feels as though she's nailed to the ground.

"Are you okay, baby?" The historian asks, and Holtzmann swears she can feel her heart breaking as she watches Erin shake her head, tears streaming down her face.

She realizes she's still close to the girls, and awkwardly takes a few steps back, not wanting to be noticed. She almost, almost, succeeds. There's an arm around her shoulders, giving her a gentle squeeze. "Come on, let's go." She nods in response, her heart still clenching painfully in her chest.

"But Sophie and-"

"I talked to them."

"Thanks." She says, her voice softer than usual.

* * *

Thirty minutes later she's sitting on her couch, a glass of wine in her hand. She hasn't said anything yet, mainly because Abby's been on the phone with Patty for about twenty minutes now. When the researcher finally returns she sighs deeply, reaching over to grab her glass of wine before sitting down next to Holtz.

"How is she?" Holtzmann says, trying not to seem too desperate.

"What happened?" Abby asks instead.

"Riley." She answers simply.

Abby's eyes widen. "Shit Holtz, did you make out with her in front of Erin or something?"

Holtzmann looks at her, mouth slightly open. "No, of course not! Why would I- anyways, she was there.. and I guess she was flirting with Erin, and I didn't really like that."

Abby nods. "Because you felt jealous or because of what happened?"

The blonde stays silent for some time, sipping her glass and staring straight ahead. Finally, she speaks again. "I guess both. I mean when I looked at her, and she was dancing with Riley I just got so.. angry."

The brunette smiles softly at her. "I get it, Holtzmann. So, what happened then?"

"Well I kinda pretended we were girlfriends so I could get rid of Riley.. we talked a little, and then Erin kissed me."

Abby almost chokes on her drink then, coughing violently and leaning forward. "I'm sorry." She says after finally catching her breath again. "She did what?"

"She kissed me." Holtzmann responds casually.

"And then she ran out?"

The blonde nods. "Yeah Riley left.. and then Erin freaked out and told me to leave her alone."

Abby squints her eyes as she takes it all in. "I have to call Patty. " She says, standing up from the couch and leaving a very confused Holtzmann behind.

The researcher returns about two minutes later, right as Holtzmann finishes her second drink. "Come on." She says, walking over to pull the engineer up from the couch. "We're leaving."

Holtzmann pulls back her hand. "What? Where are we going?"

Abby rolls her eyes in response. "Just come with me. Okay?"

Finally, after staring at her for about a full minute, the blonde nods, following her outside where they quickly get into a cab.

Not even five minutes later the cab stops outside of a building she's never seen before. "Where are we?" The blonde asks, glaring at the fancy-looking apartment building.

"Erin's." Abby simply responds.

Immediately, she takes three steps back, awkwardly bumping into the cab as she does. "Oh no, no, no, no, no." She says, holding up her hands. "I'm not going up there."

Then, Patty appears, walking over towards her and pulling on her arm. "I swear to god, I'm so done with y'all." Still, Holtzmann struggles, now successfully pulling back her arm and freeing herself from Patty's strong grip. The other woman just glares at her, crossing her arms as she raises an eyebrow.

"Holtzy, baby, either you walk or I'm gonna pick you up and carry yo ass up there."

For a second Holtzmann stares at her, squinting her eyes as she tries to see if Patty's being serious. "I'd walk. She's not joking." Abby says, as if she's read her mind.

Suddenly, Patty is rushing over, reaching for her waist. "Okay, okay!" The engineer says. "I'll go."

She walks over and inside of the building, noticing her friends are still following her. "Seriously?" She asks.

"Gotta be sure you're not gonna escape through the fire exit," Patty says, shrugging her shoulders now.

Holtzmann just rolls her eyes, stepping into the elevator after checking where Erin's apartment is. She's not even surprised when Patty and Abby follow her. They arrive at Erin's door, and suddenly the blonde stops. She can feel her heart pounding rapidly in her chest, and takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

"She doesn't even want to talk to me." She says, turning towards her friends. "I really don't think this is a good idea."

Abby pushes past her and knocks on the door, now quickly ducking away so that Erin won't notice her and Patty. "Yeah well... too late now."

"I hate you." She says, before turning towards the door which is now being pulled open.

"Patty, I told you I- Oh.. it's you." Erin says, her eyes red. Holtzmann knows it's because she's been crying, and once more her heart clenches painfully.

"Hi." She says awkwardly, still standing in the doorway. "Can I come in?" She pauses before adding, "Please?"

For a second Erin stands still, just staring at her. Finally, she sighs and takes a step to the side.

"Thanks." Holtzmann responds, brushing past her and into the apartment. "You've got a nice place here." She says, clearing her throat awkwardly. She stands in the middle of the room, not knowing if she should sit or stand.

"Cut the crap, Holtz." Erin says, surprising the engineer. "What are you doing here?"

"Abby. She uh.. she kinda dragged me over here and forced me to come talk to you."

The redhead rolls her eyes, reaching for her glass of wine when she does. "Good to know the only reason you're here is because you were forced."

Quickly the blonde shakes her head, taking a step closer to Erin. "Fuck, I mean, no. Obviously not. I just didn't think you'd want to talk to me."

Erin glares at her for a full minute before finally speaking. "I don't really, but since we're stuck here anyways-"

"Yeah I'm pretty sure Patty and Abby have blocked the door." Holtzmann interrupts, before gesturing towards Erin to continue.

"Anyways," Erin repeats, clearly annoyed because of the interruption, "I'd like to know why you jumped between me and Riley. I could have handled that perfectly well on my own."

Holtzmann sighs, now walking over towards the counter and pouring herself a glass of wine. She sits down on the couch, putting the glass in front of her on the table. She quickly reaches for a coaster when she notices her friends warning glare. "Sorry." She mutters, before taking a sip of her drink. Erin's still standing in the middle of her own living room, arms crossed.

"I know you could have." She says. "I guess I just.. Shit this is really hard." She chuckles awkwardly. Erin doesn't say anything though, just raises an eyebrow, clearly waiting for a better explanation.

"Okay so.. me and Riley, we have a history together."

"I got that." Erin responds, her voice sounding harsher than normal.

"Yeah.. well.. it wasn't pretty. I mean, I know I'm a fucked up person, but she's way worse. She uh-" She tries to control the quiver in her voice, but based on the look on Erin's face she appears to be failing.  
Holtzmann clears her throat, trying to regain some control.

"She was my first real girlfriend, and I was so in love with her. But uh... she cheated on me, multiple times, and she always made me feel so bad about myself, about who I am. I wasn't even really myself anymore towards the end of it. Abby noticed. I started to dress differently, talk differently, changed my clothes, my hair, lost my passion for science. Just basically everything that makes me.. well me. Abby was there for me the whole time, finally pushing me to break up with her. She still regrets getting involve, though I don't get why. I owe her everything for getting me out of that mess."

She sighs deeply, finally looking up to make eye contact with her friend. She notices how Erin's eyes seem to have softened.

"Yeah.. so I'm sorry, but when I saw her I got so angry, and I can't let her hurt you the way she hurt me. Also-" She stops then, "nevermind."

Erin squints her eyes at that last comment, wondering if she should ask Holtzmann what that's all about. She shakes it off, then walks over, sitting down next to the blonde. She reaches over and takes Holtzmann's hand in hers. "I'm sorry. I didn't know.. I thought you were just trying to annoy me." She says, simply.

"I wasn't, and I'm sorry too." The blonde says. "I really am, and for the record, I don't think you being bisexual is a bad thing."

Erin looks at her, wondering if the blonde was reading her mind.

"My coworker told me I messed up after that conversation we had." Holtzmann says, finally getting Erin to smile at her.

"You sort of did, yes."

"I was just surprised, I mean I thought you were straight."

Erin actually laughs now, glad that some of the tension between them is gone. "Clearly, I'm not."

"Clearly, yes."

A silence falls between them, both of them aware of their hands still clasped together.

Awkwardly, Erin clears her throat, freeing her hand from Holtzmann as she stands up from the couch. "I'm glad we got that cleared."

The blonde nods, feeling as awkward as Erin. "Yeah.. me too." She puts her glass on the coffee table and stands, immediately putting her hands in her pockets. "I should go then, I guess. Unless there's something else you wanted to talk to about?"

Erin's gaze lingers on her for a few seconds before she finally looks down, shifting on her feet. "No, I'm good."

"Okay then." Holtzmann says. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

Erin smiles. "Yeah, see you tomorrow."

Just as the engineer is about to reach the door, Patty storms in, dragging Abby behind her. "Patty no." Abby protests, but it's already too late.

"For heaven's sake just kiss already! I'm so done with this." She shifts her gaze between Erin and Holtz, who both look mortified.

"I'm serious!" The historian says. "Just admit y'all like each other so we can get this over with and I can go home!"

Abby rolls her eyes, finally managing to drag Patty out of Erin's apartment. "Sorry guys, I tried."

"Not very hard." Erin says in response.

Suddenly, they're alone again, both of them now staring at each other.

"Do you-"

"Did you-"

They both speak at the same time. "Sorry." Holtzmann says, now gesturing towards Erin. "You go first."

"Do you like me?"

The blonde smirks, finding Erin's insecurity utterly adorable. "Of course I do. I don't flirt like that with anyone."

Erin raises an eyebrow at that.

"Okay, maybe I do, but never like that, and never this long. I've liked you since the moment you walked through that door at Higgins. I figured you were straight, but I couldn't get myself to stop."

"You really liked me as soon as you saw me?"

The engineer just nods. "What about you? Because I totally get it if you're not interested in me or anything, but just tell me so I can move on and stuff, because honestly-"

Instead of saying anything Erin walks over towards her, closing the gap between them and pressing their lips together. It only lasts a brief second, she doesn't even give Holtzmann enough time to respond to the kiss. "I like you too, Holtz."

The blonde means at her, wrapping her arms around Erin's waist and pulling her closer. She stares at her, trying to savor the moment.

"Are you going to kiss me or what?" Erin teases.

"So impatient." The engineer responds, her smile widening before finally leaning in and pressing her lips to Erin's. The redhead places a hand on Holtzmann's neck to pull her even closer to her, both now moaning into the kiss. She feels the blonde's tongue on her lower lip, and opens her mouth to deepen the kiss. Once more, Erin moans, and it's louder this time. Suddenly, a loud knocking on the door startles them, and they pull apart.

"Yo!" Patty yells. "We're super happy that you guys are sucking faces and everything, but this seems to be becoming a real life porn movie, and I don't wanna be anywhere near that."

Holtzmann bursts out into laughter, causing Erin to giggle as well.

"Thanks for everything guys, we'll see you tomorrow." Holtzmann calls out. "Probably like late in the afternoon, though."

"Jesus Christ." She can hear Patty mutter from the other side of the door.

Erin rolls her eyes, though she can't help but smile at the blonde as she pulls her in for another kiss.


End file.
